PATIENT SAFETY
The rates of serious hospital-related complications varies widely, according to a Dallas Morning News investigation of hospital safety data. The News found that public hospitals and teaching facilities were far more likely to have poor safety rankings; however, safety concerns were prevalent in all types of medical facilities.Read More:How Safe Is Your Hospital? Chance of Serious Complications Varies Widely; Daniel Lathrop, Dallas Morning News

A proposal by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission recommends ending licensing requirements for many health care workers, including x-ray technicians and respiratory therapists. The Commisison claims that licensure is unnecessary and costly, but health care professionals caution that patient safety and security could be harmed by ending basic oversight requirements designed to ensure quality care.Read More:Proposal Would End License Requirements for Some Health Care Workers; Janet St. James, WFAA

ELDER CARE
A new report by AARP shows that Texas ranks near the bottom in quality for long-term care. Texas scores especially poorly on nursing home staffing measures with a staff turnover rate that is nearly double the national average.Read More:Report Shows Texas Lagging in Long-Term Care Quality; Eli Okun, Texas Tribune

WORKPLACE SAFETY
The Texas Workforce Commission is required to maintain a 24-hour hotline for workers to report unsafe working conditions. That hotline has not been operating after business hours – and no one knows how long it has been down. Instead of putting workers in touch with authorities, giving them resources to report dangerous or emergency conditions, or even allowing workers to leave a message, the agency has been directing callers to call back during business hours. Work safety advocates say this has been endangering workers. The agency says it has fixed the hotline.Read More:Texas Worker Safety Hotline Falters; Jay Root, Texas Tribune

]]>http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/06/news-of-the-week-hospital-safety-review-licensure-of-med-workers-long-term-care-quality-rankings-broken-work-safety-hotline/feed/0News of the Week: Chemical Disclosure, Safe Road Trips, Kyle Field Worker Death, and a Devastating Medical Errorhttp://www.texaswatch.org/2014/06/news-of-the-week-chemical-disclosure-safe-road-trips-kyle-field-worker-death-and-a-devastating-medical-error/
http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/06/news-of-the-week-chemical-disclosure-safe-road-trips-kyle-field-worker-death-and-a-devastating-medical-error/#commentsFri, 20 Jun 2014 15:06:50 +0000http://www.texaswatch.org/?p=7549In this edition of the News of the Week, Greg Abbott shuts down access to information about hazardous chemical facilities, we have tips to get you ready for your summer road trip, OSHA issues a scathing report into a construction worker’s death at Kyle Field, and an Arlington man who had the wrong kidney removed seeks accountability in the courts.

dallasnews.com

PUBLIC SAFETY
Attorney General Greg Abbott recently ruled that families who live and work near hazardous chemical facilities no longer have access to information about the amount or type of toxics in their community. This action is an about-face from efforts by lawmakers to beef up disclosure of facilities that store hazardous materials in the wake of last year’s ammonium nitrate facility explosion in West.Read More:Abbott Decision Blocks Access to Hazardous Chemical Information; Eye on Texas Blog

With school out, summer driving season is hitting high gear. Millions of Texans will take a road trip this summer. So, here are some tips to stay safe on the road.Read More: 6 Ways to Survive Your Next Texas Road Trip; Eye on Texas Blog

WORKPLACE SAFETY
Federal investigators released a report into the death of a construction worker who was killed while working on the Kyle Field stadium expansion in College Station. The worker was operating an overloaded skid-steer that tipped, causing him to fall over 70 feet. The OSHA report concluded that the contractors overseeing the job “failed to provide employees with safe demolition procedures despite concerns from workers.” The contractors face over $130,000 in federal fines.Read More:Report Released on the Death of a Construction Worker Killed at Kyle Field; KBTX

PATIENT SAFETY
Last year, Arlington resident Glenn Hermes learned he had kidney cancer. To stop the disease from spreading, he opted for surgery to remove the affected kidney. When he awoke from the surgery, he discovered that the wrong kidney had been removed, leaving him with limited kidney function. Now, Mr. Hermes is trying to hold the doctors accountable in court.Read More:Arlington Family Files Malpractice Suit After Wrong Kidney Removed; Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

]]>http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/06/news-of-the-week-chemical-disclosure-safe-road-trips-kyle-field-worker-death-and-a-devastating-medical-error/feed/0News of the Week: Hurricane Season, Insurance Surcharges, Abuse of the Elderly & Disabledhttp://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-hurricane-season-insurance-surcharges-abuse-of-the-elderly-disabled/
http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-hurricane-season-insurance-surcharges-abuse-of-the-elderly-disabled/#commentsFri, 30 May 2014 13:02:12 +0000http://www.texaswatch.org/?p=7480This week’s installment of News of Week features stories to help Texans prepare for Hurricane season (or anything that could lead to a major insurance claim), insurance companies avoiding their obligations while coastal property owners face higher insurance costs, and evidence of abuse at state and private assisted living centers.

Hurricane Ike, 2008

DISASTER PREPARATION
The 2014 hurricane season starts on Sunday. Texans along the coast need to prepare for the possibility of filing a major insurance claim. The same goes for the rest of the state too. Whether you live on the coast, the Panhandle, or anywhere in between, you need to be prepared for a catastrophic event that results in a claim on your property insurance. We’ve compiled the 5 most important things every Texan should do to be prepared for a major insurance claim.Read More:5 Things You Need to Do to Get Ready for Hurricane Season (or Wildfires or Hail Storms or Tornadoes); Eye on Texas Blog

HOME INSURANCE
Despite calls to require insurance companies to fulfill their legal obligation to replenish the state’s wind insurance trust fund before putting additional burdens on policyholders, Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber has decided to move forward on a plan to impose additional fees on coastal property owners after the next hurricane strikes the Texas coast. Coastal residents, business owners, and lawmakers are considering options to reverse the commissioner’s decision.Read More:New Insurance Surcharges on Coastal Residents if Hurricane Comes; KIII-TV

DISABLED & ELDER ABUSE
A new state report calls for closing six state assisted living centers. The facilities for people with physical and intellectual disabilities have been under federal scrutiny since 2009 for poor conditions, as well as evidence of the abuse and neglect of residents. Some advocates welcome the recommendation while others raise concerns that the state is not addressing the underlying problem of poor funding and under-staffing.Read More:State Report Calls for Shuttering 6 Living Centers for the Disabled; Andrea Ball, Austin American-Statesman ($)

State regulators admitted to violating the law when investigators failed to alert law enforcement to evidence of the sexual assault of a resident at Longhorn Village, a private assisted living facility in Austin. The family of the alleged victim, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, says that the investigator didn’t notify them either.Read More:State Admits ‘Failure’ in Assisted Living Abuse Investigation; Brian Collister, KXAN-TV

]]>http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-hurricane-season-insurance-surcharges-abuse-of-the-elderly-disabled/feed/0News of the Week: Aftermath of West, Nursing Home Abuse, SCOTUS Eroding Corporate Accountabilityhttp://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-aftermath-of-west-nursing-home-abuse-scotus-eroding-corporate-accountability/
http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-aftermath-of-west-nursing-home-abuse-scotus-eroding-corporate-accountability/#commentsFri, 23 May 2014 13:01:22 +0000http://www.texaswatch.org/?p=7407In this edition of the News of the Week: Senators take testimony on the response to the West disaster, the State Fire Marshal issues a report detailing ways to improve safety after West, nursing home residents face abuse and neglect at an alarming rate with little recourse for repeat offenders, and a video about the importance of class action lawsuits in protecting consumers.

ABC News

PUBLIC SAFETY
A panel of state Senators held the latest in a series of hearings on last year’s fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. Lawmakers are developing proposals to present to the full legislature next year. We submitted comments encouraging the committee to adopt reforms that focus on the public’s safety. We said: “This is a public safety issue. As such, it is reasonable to empower state and local authorities not only to inspect these facilities, but also to enforce meaningful safety regulations. It is similarly reasonable to require facility owners to take basic steps to ensure the safety of the public and face accountability if they fail to do so.”Read More:Lawmakers Should Take Basic Steps to Avoid Another West, Protect the Public; Eye on Texas Blog

The State Fire Marshal issued a new report outlining the events that led to the tragic loss of life and property in the West explosion. The report includes a series of recommendations to mitigate the likelihood of a future disaster involving ammonium nitrate storage facilities, including requiring facilities to utilize fire sprinklers and non-combustible building materials and beefing up training for first responders.Read More:Report: Firefighter Deaths at West Fertilizer Plant Disaster Could Have Been Prevented; Priscilla Mosqueda, Texas Observer

NURSING HOME SAFETY
The state agency that oversees nursing homes reports a staggering 55% increase in severe nursing home violations in the last four years. However, repeat offenders are often allowed to continue operating. Advocates argue that regulators need to take steps to ensure the safety of nursing home residents by being more pro-active in policing dangerous nursing home operators and improving staffing ratios at the facilities.Read More:Regulator Under Scrutiny After Nursing Home Neglect; Andy Pierrotti, KVUE-TV

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY
The United States Supreme Court has made a series of decisions in recent years limiting the ability of individuals to join together to hold corporations accountable. Media Matters for America sat down with leading consumer attorney Paul Bland to discuss the impact these decisions have had on consumer protection.Watch the Video:The Roberts Court: Corporate America’s Best Friend; Media Matters for America

]]>http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-aftermath-of-west-nursing-home-abuse-scotus-eroding-corporate-accountability/feed/0News of the Week: Polluter Accountability Hearing, Cleaning Toxic Tank Cars, MRSAhttp://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-polluter-accountability-hearing-cleaning-toxic-tank-cars-mrsa/
http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-polluter-accountability-hearing-cleaning-toxic-tank-cars-mrsa/#commentsFri, 16 May 2014 12:55:30 +0000http://www.texaswatch.org/?p=7370In this week’s News of the Week: Lawmakers hold a hearing to discuss whether local authorities should retain the right to sue polluters, safety regulators know almost nothing about the most dangerous job you’ve never heard of, and a columnist loses his friend to a hospital infection.

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY
Lawmakers on the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee heard testimony this week about proposals to restrict local authorities of the ability to hold polluters accountable in court. We submitted comments, telling the committee: “In order to ensure our citizens’ communities are protected from contamination, we respectfully urge this committee to follow the lead of the Legislature and refrain from taking any steps that would limit the constitutional right to trial by jury. Approaches that would seek to strengthen the grip of Austin bureaucrats and undermine local control, consolidate power in the executive branch at the expense of the judiciary, invade contracts, endanger public safety, or shift costs onto the taxpayer for clean up are not sound public policy.”Read More:Polluters Should Face Local Justice, Eye on Texas Blog

Houston Chronicle

WORKPLACE SAFETY
Cleaning barges and rail cars that transport petrochemicals is dangerous work. How dangerous? The Houston Chronicle found that safety regulators really don’t know. They don’t track how many tank cleaners there are or or where they’re located. There aren’t even uniform standards for safety. The Chronicle discovered at least 51 deaths directly associated with tank cleaning in the last 15 years, not including illnesses or injuries that manifest years after exposure to the toxics in the tanks.Read More:Largely Invisible Tank Cleaning Industry Awash in Risk; Ingrid Lobet, Houston Chronicle

PATIENT SAFETY
Dallas Morning News columnist Dave Lieber lost his dear friend and colleague Chris Neely after Neely contracted the deadly superbug MRSA while hospitalized for a routine procedure. Lieber says the experience “changed the way I see the world.” He discovered how Texas officials do not require cases of MRSA to be reported or tracked and began to take a more pro-active role in requiring health care providers to follow basic infection control procedures.Read More:Friend’s Death from MRSA Changed How I Saw the World; Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News

]]>http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-polluter-accountability-hearing-cleaning-toxic-tank-cars-mrsa/feed/0News of the Week: Polluter Accountability, Fracking Boom Traffic Deaths, Benzene Exposure, West Aftermathhttp://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-polluter-accountability-fracking-boom-traffic-deaths-benzene-exposure-west-aftermath/
http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/05/news-of-the-week-polluter-accountability-fracking-boom-traffic-deaths-benzene-exposure-west-aftermath/#commentsFri, 09 May 2014 13:29:10 +0000http://www.texaswatch.org/?p=7323In this week’s News of the Week: Polluters undermining local authorities, spike in traffic deaths related to Texas’s tracking boom, Corpus families denied restitution after exposure to benzene and other toxics, and a member of Congress who wants answers about the lingering health effects of the West disaster.

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY
Lawmakers are slated to take testimony next week on a proposal that would strip local authorities of their ability to hold polluters accountable in court. This is an idea that lawmakers rejected numerous times last year, yet the polluter lobby is back again. Why? Because local authorities do a good job policing industries that poison our air and water, and industry wants industry-friendly Austin “regulators” in charge. Our executive director Alex Winslow told reporter Dave Fehling: “Polluters would rather have those bureaucrats in Austin handle these matters than local authorities that are accountable directly to their communities.”Read More:Suing Polluters: Texas Again Considers Curbing County Attorneys; Dave Fehling, State Impact Texas (NPR)

Texas Observer

Despite evidence that Corpus Christi’s Citgo plant exposed families living near the facility to benzene and other carcinogens, a federal judge has denied them any restitution, including basic cancer screenings or medical expenses. He said his ruling was intended to bring closure to the years-long dispute; however, according to the Texas Observer, the delays were caused in part by the judge’s lengthy process for resolving an underlying criminal violation.Read More:Citgo’s Corpus Christi Environmental Crimes: Too Big to Punish; Priscilla Mosqueda, Texas Observer

COMMUNITY SAFETY
The energy boom related to hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”) has led to a spike in traffic related fatalities as trucks are traveling on roads unprepared for the increased number of heavy vehicles. In Texas, drivers are 2.5 times more likely to die in an accident in areas where fracking is prevalent.Read More:Deadly Side Effect to Fracking Boom; Jonathan Fahey & Kevin Begos, AP

Congressman Bill Flores, who represents the community of West, Texas, wrote state regulators asking for a better survey of the health effects related to the fertilizer plant explosion that devastated that community last year. The Texas Department of State Health Services has focused only on apparent physical injuries reported at hospitals immediately after the explosion. Flores wants regulators to include mental health and other physical ailments that manifest over time.Read More:West’s Congressman Asks State for Better Survey of Explosion’s Health Effects; Sue Ambrose, Dallas Morning News

Patient SafetyThe Texas Observer’s Saul Elbein revisits the horrific story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch’s trail of botched surgeries that left a series of patients maimed and even dead. Elbein’s story explains how Texas law says hospitals have no legal responsibility to police bad doctors and face no accountability for the harm caused by doctors like Duntsch. Our own Alex Winslow explained: “The hospital should have some legal responsibility for making sure doctors have a safe track record – that they have no history of abuse, they’re not on drugs, they’re meeting basic standards of safety. And the law doesn’t require that.”Read More:Licensed to Kill; Saul Elbein, Texas Observer

Dangerous Products
A device marketed to help women with urinary incontinence has resulted in severe and life long pain for many. Over 100,000 lawsuits have been filed against manufacturers of surgical mesh. The FDA has issued a warning to patients, saying that complications “are not rare” and the agency is proposing a new label that calls the device “high risk.”Read More:Women Claim Mesh Implants Ruining Their Lives; Deborah Knapp, KENS-TV

Home InsuranceAttorney General Greg Abbott’s office and insurance giant Farmers Insurance appeared in court together to urge a Texas judge to approve a sweetheart deal that would have let Farmers off the hook for millions in interest on excessive premiums. Texas Judge Scott Jenkins refused to accept the settlement proposal.Read More:Judge Concerned About Sweetheart Deal for Farmers Insurance; Eye on Texas Blog

Public SafetyIn the wake of the disaster in West, Texas, chemical companies sent a letter to the White House this week urging President Obama to reject additional regulations on industry facilities that house and produce dangerous toxic chemicals, saying the focus should be on first responders instead of chemical producers.Read More:In Letter to Obama, Chemical Industry Groups See No Need for Further Regulation; Matt Jacob, Dallas Morning News

“The cost of the bad weather in Texas has already been priced into the cost of our home insurance. It has been priced into the cost of our home insurance for a long time. So for insurance companies and their lobbyists to suggest that we need to dramatically increase the cost of insurance this year, next year and the year after that because of weather, just doesn’t make sense. We’re already paying for that,” Alex Winslow with Texas Watch said.

[…]

“It’s important that the insurance commissioner conduct a rate hearing, and look into these rates. If she finds that they are in fact excessive, which we think they are, then she should reject them. And force the insurance companies to come back and offer reasonable rates for decent coverage,” Winslow said.

State Senator Rodney Ellis has been pushing legislation that would force insurers to justify rate hikes before they implement them.

]]>http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/01/video-texas-home-insurance-premiums-among-highest-in-u-s/feed/0Senator Urges Insurance Commissioner to Reject Rate Hikes by “Big Three” Home Insurershttp://www.texaswatch.org/2014/01/senator-urges-insurance-commissioner-to-reject-rate-hikes-by-big-three-home-insurers/
http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/01/senator-urges-insurance-commissioner-to-reject-rate-hikes-by-big-three-home-insurers/#commentsFri, 10 Jan 2014 16:47:44 +0000http://www.texaswatch.org/?p=7174A state senator called on Texas Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber Friday to reject premium increases from the state’s three largest home insurers. Those increases, filed by Allstate, Farmers and State Farm, are currently under review by Rathgeber and the Texas Department of Insurance. The increases, ranging from 6.5 percent to nearly 15 percent, will impact more than two million homeowners, according to Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston. Allstate and Farmers are already implementing the higher rates with policy renewals this year, while State Farm customers will see higher premiums beginning in February.

]]>http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/01/senator-urges-insurance-commissioner-to-reject-rate-hikes-by-big-three-home-insurers/feed/0EDITORIAL: State Officials Must Not Roll Over on Insurance Rate Hikeshttp://www.texaswatch.org/2014/01/editorial-state-officials-must-not-roll-over-on-insurance-rate-hikes/
http://www.texaswatch.org/2014/01/editorial-state-officials-must-not-roll-over-on-insurance-rate-hikes/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 16:51:18 +0000http://www.texaswatch.org/?p=7176The state’s three largest home insurers are seeking major increases in premiums, and the Texas Department of Insurance and new Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber need to stand up for consumers. The agency can reject any proposed rate hikes it regards as excessive, and that looks likely with this latest round of increases.

[…]

The plain truth is that homeowner’s insurance rates in Texas are way too high. The constant increases must stop – now.